Money launderers use creative schemes to go undetected while moving illicit funds. But what happens when the person fighting launderers is someone with firsthand knowledge of these tactics, honed through real world life experience and unique cultural insights?  Enter Lourdes Miranda, a former CIA Officer and FBI Analyst who now consults in the private sector in Crypto Investigations, Blockchain Analysis, Financial Crime investigations, Fraud investigation and Compliance.  Lourdes spoke with Designated host Yaya Jata Fanusie about her unconventional background and how it helped develop the needed expertise she employed to think like a money launderer.

C4ADS- Center for Advanced Defense Studies- is a nonprofit that works to uncover illicit networks that threaten global peace and security through deep-dive investigations and intelligence analysis on data that may be publicly available, but hard to find. Through their investigative work, they’ve been able to map out secret business and real estate networks designed by corrupt military leaders in Sudan and unravel the multilayered supply chain enabling forced labor camps of Uyghurs in China.

Varun Vira is the Executive Director of C4ADS.  He spoke with Designated  host Yaya Jata Fanusie about how his nimble organization is at the forefront of using open-source intelligence to shine the light on global networks trying to keep their dealings of dirty money and illicit operations in the dark.  C4ADS’s investigations have made a significant and material impact and the targets of their investigations have taken notice.  And although their efforts have become more necessary than ever, they come with tremendous risk. 

As with the transition of power for every Presidential administration, agendas are rethought, and priorities realigned.  And although America’s global economic and political power is buttressed by the integrity of its markets and sound rule of law, we must still be mindful of evolving methods of economic warfare and continued threats to our national security and economic standing. So what exactly should the incoming Trump administration be focused on and prioritizing?

Juan Zarate was the US counterterrorism czar under President George W. Bush, the first Assistant Secretary at the Treasury Department to oversee Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes, and also authored Treasury’s War: The Unleashing of a New Era of Financial Warfare.  Juan joined Designated host Yaya Jata Fanusie to share his expertise on the risks our adversaries and these massive threats pose to our economic, social, and political lives and how the Trump administration would be best served in addressing them. 

In October, TD Bank pled guilty to money laundering and violations of the Bank Secrecy Act, incurring $3.1 billion dollars in penalties, putting the general public at risk, and shattering the trust of its own customers.  Sadly, this latest case of money laundering and lack of transparency is nothing new, joining a past roster of scandals involving many of the biggest banks in the U.S.   Charges against TD Bank indicate some employees knowingly facilitated these illegal banking practices, turning a blind eye in pursuit of profits including executives at the highest level of TD Bank who failed in their duty to oversee the bank’s Anti-Money laundering program.  But how exactly did a bank, trusted by millions, known as “the nation’s most convenient bank,” become an enabler of fraud and what can we do to end this trend of impropriety and prevent the next banking scandal?

On this episode of 

Designated, 

host Yaya Jata Fanusie speaks with veteran banking executive and financial crime fighter, Jim Richards, for a deep dive into the questionable banking practices at TD Bank and how best to keep dirty money out of the financial system.

Beginning in 2011, the Silk Road was the place to go online for any number of illegal drugs and contraband or other illicit items.  And as long as a buyer had some of this new digital currency called Bitcoin to spend, they could find whatever they wanted for purchase. This illicit activity on the Silk Road really put crypto on the map…. especially for law enforcement.  In  2013, the Silk Road was shut down as part of an intense federal investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies. Key to the disruption of the Silk Road was an undercover special agent with the Department of Homeland Security.  Jared Der-Yeghiayan spoke with Designated host Yaya Jata Fanusie and explained what happened behind the scenes of the Silk Road and how he and a team of his fellow agents were able to shut it down.

A text message out of nowhere, from a number you don’t know, from someone thinking you’re someone else.  These messages might represent the digital bait in a global phishing operation called “pig butchering.” These scams may start with a text message. They could begin with a conversation on a dating app. But the scammers on the other side know how to reel people in and take them to the financial slaughterhouse.  Erin West is a Deputy District Attorney for Santa Clara County, California, and a central figure in the fight to combat “pig butchering.” She spoke with Designated host, Yaya Jata Fanusie, to help understand how “pig butchering” scams work and the steps we can take to keep from becoming a victim.

In Part 2 of the debut episode of "Designated," host Yaya Jata Fanusie continues his examination of Tigran Gambaryan, a former IRS special agent and financial crime fighter unjustly imprisoned in Nigeria for over seven months. Tigran was known for his groundbreaking work in combating cybercrime and cryptocurrency fraud.  His expertise led him to Binance, where he was pivotal in enhancing compliance measures. Tigran was unjustly detained after a meeting in Nigeria regarding Binance's operations, and has remained there for over 200 days. Yaya speaks with former IRS Chief of Investigations, Richard Weber who served as Chief while Tigran was a Special Agent, Tigran’s former fellow Agent and friend, Matthew Price and Chief Compliance Officer at Binance, Noah Perlman.  Join us as we uncover the truth behind this troubling case and rally for justice.
 

In the debut episode of "Designated," host Yaya Jata Fanuise shines a spotlight on Tigran Gambaryan, a former IRS special agent and financial crime fighter unjustly imprisoned in Nigeria for over seven months. Tigran was known for his groundbreaking work in combating cybercrime and cryptocurrency fraud, and his expertise led him to Binance, where he was pivotal in enhancing compliance measures. Tigran was unjustly detained after a meeting in Nigeria regarding Binance's operations, and has remained there for over 200 days. This first installment of a two-part episode features conversations with Tigran's wife, Yuki, Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) and Wired’s Andy Greenberg, all advocating for his release. Join us as we uncover the truth behind this troubling case and rally for justice.

Yaya Jata Fanusie, a former CIA analyst with years of experience in counterterrorism and financial crime investigations, will go behind the scenes with the professionals working to safeguard the global financial system from illicit acts.